Carmina Villarroel draws inspiration from own mom in balancing career and family

MANILA, Philippines — Carmina Villarroel belongs to that circle of thespians, who have successfully remained visible and relatable amid the unfolding trends, genre- and work- wise, and the influx of new talents and old hands.

Her body of work, both on the small and big screens, is a testament to Carmina’s dedication and passion for her acting.

Away from the klieg lights, the veteran actress is busy taking on her roles as a doting wife and a mom to actor-director Zoren Legaspi and Sparkle GMA artists, twins Mavy and Cassy, respectively.

“I love it, I love it,” Carmina quickly responded when asked about her being a working mom in a recent virtual one-on-one with The STAR. “Even if it’s tiring and sometimes stressful, I love being a working mom. Growing up, I saw my mom as a working mother. She was a hands-on (mom), but at the same time, also a working one. Parang feeling ko kung kaya ng mommy ko, kaya ko din. She is my inspiration.”

Carmina added that her situation is perhaps the same to that of other moms, who strike a balance between pursuing a career and running a household. If ever there’s any slightly stark contrast, it will be worktime or work schedule.

“(Most moms usually) work from Mondays to Fridays, (8) a.m. to 5 p.m.,” said she. “We (moms who make a living by working as actresses) don’t work every day. Sometimes we work M-W-F (Monday-Wednesday-Friday), sometimes Mondays and Tuesdays and there’s a break. Then, we work Tuesdays and Fridays. We don’t have a fixed schedule, yun lang siguro yung pagkakaiba… We all have the same goal and reason of working, and that’s for the family.” Yes, it’s to give the latter a good life.

The Legaspi family has been fortunate to be cast in shows from the pandemic times to the new normal. From the studio, Carmina, Zoren, Mavy and Cassy continued work in Sarap, ‘Di Ba? at home. Thus, the phrase Bahay edition was added to the show’s original title.

“We are very blessed,” said she. “Nagpapasalamat kami… as a family, we worked, but at the same time we were like playing.” The Legaspis also shared their blessings.

When TV networks were given the go-ahead to shoot series, complying with the strict health and safety protocols set by the government, each family member was tapped. They heeded the call to act and adapted to the usual month-long, lock-in tapings. This continues on with the new normal.

Carmina’s most recent works are Widows’ Web and the now airing Abot-Kamay Na Pangarap, which reveal and narrate two distinct faces and experiences of a mother.

“You know that’s a tough question,” she said about what excites her as an actress. “When I’m asked about my dream role or what other roles I would like to do, I can’t think of any. Every time something is being offered to me at gumaganon yung puso ko (my heart leaps), ibig sabihin nun gusto ko (it means I like doing it). Hindi lahat ng na-i-o-offer sa akin ay may ganun akong nararamdaman but I’m happy to say that I liked most of (the projects being) offered to me.”

When it comes to portraying mother roles like that of Barbara in Widows’ Web and Lyneth in Abot-Kamay Na Pangarap, Carmina reflected by saying that mother roles are the same. “Gusto mo mapagmahal na ina, pwedeng maging kontrabida ka (You can play what others may consider the good or bad one, but) the bottom line is mapagmahal ka pa rin.” The reason of a kontrabida mom character becomes one is, she simply wants the best for her child, added Carmina.

In every project that comes her way — be it film, commercial or TV series, the Kapuso actress should get inspired by and feel excited about it.

“It’s something that I really want to do,” said Carmina. “I always tell this, (as a piece of advice), not just to my kids, but also to newbies I also work with, that in any line of work, dapat mahal mo yung trabaho mo (you should love your work). Even if you feel tired and stressed, if you love your job, you will never give up because you like doing it.”

Following her train of thought, one could glean upon is that if an actor is half-hearted, then his or her spirits can easily be dampened by a work challenge and that will be unfair to the showrunner.

Aside from having a genuine love for the craft, the actress in Carmina emphasized the importance of professionalism and respect to creatives such as directors and co-actors.

“When you love your work, siguro mananatili ka dito (you will stay long in the business),” said she, “and I always say, luck also factors in… It’s also important to pray.”

Good news is the TV series, Abot-Kamay Na Pangarap, has been extended. Viewers are thrilled to see the possible developments in her character Lyneth’s life.

“Actually, I don’t know what to expect,” said she. “What will they (audiences) expect from my character? I don’t know… that’s why every time we’d get our scripts, we are all excited. We don’t know what’s going to happen next, which I appreciate. I also like that because we also look forward to (what lies ahead)… you really get excited.

“At yun yung dapat na hindi mawawala, the feeling of excitement (should always be there), it means you still have the drive to work… kaya ka nga pinapanood nung mga tao kasi dapat na-e-excite ka pa sa ginagawa mo. One-hundred percent sure, there’s a lot more (to anticipate and) there are more revelations,” she said, as far as the drama narrative is concerned.

Her journey from being a pre-teen to teen star, who showed potential in doing drama and comedy, to becoming an adult and established actress, who can shift from one genre to another, is a tale of success.

The veteran actress, who plays a mother of a young genius doctor in Abot-Kamay Na Pangarap, says audiences can look forward to more revelations in the series.

“I’m very thankful that I’m still around,” said Carmina. “Like what I would always say, even when I was younger, I want to be like Tita Gloria Romero (an award-winning actress whose career spans for more than seven decades), hanggang sa pagtanda I can really see myself in this industry, kahit lola na ako I want to do acting.”

The challenging part in any actor’s life is to achieve longevity, she shared, “how you will sustain your career… you can easily go up, but how to maintain (a career), that’s the hardest part, kaya OK lang ako yung steady lang, chill lang.”

This is perhaps another way to account for Carmina’s visibility and her career’s longevity.

Watch the family medical drama weekdays at 2:30 p.m. on GMA Afternoon Prime.

Carmina spends quality time with actor-director husband Zoren Legaspi and their twins, Mavy and Cassy, who are also in showbiz as Sparkle GMA artists.